The spread of mazu belief from shamen island to the Korean peninsula: Focusing on poems and laments

Abstract

Mazu belief has significant cultural importance as a tradition of marine deities in coastal China and an essential part of Sino-Korean cultural exchange. Shamen Island, located in northeast China, at the junction of the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea, functioned as a crucial hub for the most convenient journey from the Korean peninsula to China. Throughout the Ming Dynasty (1368AD-1644AD), Korean envoys traveled to China for political and commercial communication, navigating Shamen Island as a crucial passageway. Their exposure to Mazu legends and worship practices on Shamen Island was meticulously recorded and expounded through literary compositions, especially poems and laments. Through an in-depth analysis of the poems and laments written by Korean envoys during the Ming Dynasty, this study examines Shamen Island's significance in diffusing Mazu culture to the Korean peninsula. The study explores this cultural interaction's topic, target audience, substance, and dissemination impact, reiterating Shamen Island's pivotal role in spreading Mazu belief throughout the Korean Peninsula.